The original title of this video was "Yo Home to Bel Air", and the title card in the video still reflects that. It's a reference to the title of the theme song. But since people are confusing it with when Will shouts out "Yo Homes to Bel Air" during the opening credits, I've changed it to the more memorable line. And apologies for two errors in the video. I pronounced Nia Long's first name incorrectly, and the footage from the Eddie Murphy special I used is from Raw, not Delirious.
I was afraid that you rip the show apart because I loved it as a Kid to, luckily this video is more admiration then critic and I tear up a few times even so I am not very nostalgic, thanks for brining back the memories
@@sheepwool9319 Really? Jose never rips things apart--unless they're Ben Shapiro's novels. Even when it comes to the most unwatchable of '90s sitcoms (Fresh Prince is decidedly among the most watchable), far from ripping them apart, he mines them for gold.
@@freddychopin maybe I was wording things a little to strong, what I mean was that the other shows he talk about had a couple of flaws some pretty bad and I was afraid that The Fresh Prince of Bel Air hat some to that my younger self didn't realize and now the positive memory would be tainted
Uncle Phil is one of the greatest sitcom dads ever. The scene when Lou leaves, and you can see the emotion on Uncle Phil's face, because Will is hurting, gets to me every time.
The thing i liked the most about Uncle Phil in the scene were Will's dad runs out on him again, was that he didnt say anything. His character so often gave these great little speeches to his kids, to make them learn a lesson or realize a truth they had overlooked. But in that scene Uncle Phil didnt try to have some big speech about family, and love, and strength. He just stood there and gave his nephew a hug because that's what he needed more than anything else.
Another thing about this is that Uncle Phil just let's Will yell and be angry and feel all the emotions he's been bottling up since he was little. Normally if Will would've gotten that mad about something Phil would have said something about "being the bigger person" or "raising above your situation " but that's not what Will needs. Will needs to be able to feel all the stuff he normally just pushed down and Phil let's him do that. Gives him the space, the moment to do that. Yeah sure he had to let Will lash out vaguely in his direction but he knows his anger isn't with him and that once he gets past all that anger he'll finally be able to work past all the other things he feels about his father leaving. All the "unmanly" feelings he had used the anger to hide. And in the end Phil was still there, to love and support him. Honestly one of the best scenes of men supporting men out there
As a child whose father was very inconsistent in my life that scene breaks me every time. My dad (my stepdad) was often in the Uncle Phil role. He often was the one to hold me up when I cried or screamed about why my father didn’t want me.
Even though Will Smith has had an incredibly successful career and has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters, his absolute best performance will forever be in the "how come he don't want me man" scene in a TV sitcom. It really was the performance of a lifetime.
@@jayanthony2414 I mean it was smiths real emotions about his own father coming out, I understand how you can see it as over dramatic but I feel its just a dude that has a lot of feeling that needed to come out
After all these years, I still cry HARD every time I see that scene. It was the moment I realized Will Smith had become an real actor. Excellent work and powerful subject matter. Makes me grateful to have the best, most supportive and loving Daddy!
One of the best scenes is when Carlton goes IN on the fraternity leader for calling him a “sellout”, because of how he grew up. As a Black man who had different interests growing up(didn’t grow up rich, but liked things that weren’t considered “Black”), Carlton’s speech has always resonated with me. “Being Black isn’t what I’m trying to be, it’s what I am.” Still hits home years later. It’s gotten better, but sadly, we still have some brothers and sisters with this mentality 😞
@@stevonwhite8933 Yup. Especially considering that one was successfully sued in the 70s for not renting to "Coloreds." He'd literally mark their file with a C for "colored" and toss their applications in the trash. That's real, intentional, old school racism. And everyone just glossed over it. And people wonder why Biden won dispite his gaffes while trying to sound cool on the radio...
Hahahaha the episode when they were talking about the one guy Will wouldn't fight and Will says "The dude that be spinning me over his head in the opening credits".
@@Ultra1884 OMG haha!! how coooool, its the wonderful ULTRA!!!! love this video, come to watch it again :) never got a notification about this comment haha! hope your keeping well and staying safe :D
Now, this is an essay all about how Will Smith turned José's life around And he'd like to take an hour Just sit right there He'll tell you how he became a fan of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
I watched this right after the Cosby one... I really do suggest that! The contrast between the affluence of the family on the Cosby show and the Fresh Prince family is amazing. The writing and the topics are vastly different and it's really eye opening.
My mom abandoned me when I was 2. That episode with Will's dad was such a huge thing for me. Relating to a parent leaving, and the pain it can cause, made me cry my eyes put. It was nice to know I wasn't alone in that pain.
My mom died when I was 5. Imagine it has a similar suck feeling. Just wondering if you have any contact or desire to see your birth mother? I don't understand God's plan but I really hope his plan has a purpose I can't see.
I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years and honestly seeing James Avery in a vegetarian restaurant was my all-time favorite celebrity sighting. RIP Uncle Phil.
I know - I just started tearing up hard watching that scene again here. Such raw emotion. You can see exactly what's going through Uncle Phil's mind the whole time - his heart breaks for Will, as Will's heart is also breaking. Really powerful scene, especially for a 90s sitcom.
When they went over that "Will's dad leaving again" episode, I tried so hard not to cry. Not only cause it reminds me of my life and the fact that my real dad left me and mom when i was young, but because Uncle Phil reminds me of my Step-Dad. And on top of that with James Avery sadly being gone, that ep hits close to home for that reason as well. Cause not only was he the dad to the Banks family, but us 90s kids felt like he was our dad as well. And because of how much Uncle Phil reminds me of my Step-Dad, and how much of a father he's become to me as well, this ep and show will always hit me with the feels.
I can tell you that unfortunately Viola's concerns about her sister marrying a white man in the 90s were NOT uncommon. I got the same well-meaning concern from my family when I married a Korean man, and his family wanted NOTHING to do with me at all. I literally never met them the whole time we were married. This did not help my mother's opinion of the struggles we would face, either. Both sets of parents were largely incorrect about what we ran into, by the way, but the fear and concern was born from all too recent events. The oddest discrimination we ever faced was people appalled that we were not having kids because "Amer-Asian babies are sooooo cute." /facepalm/
I'll add to this: When I found out that I was bisexual and told my mother, she was very happy for me and supportive. But she insisted that I shouldn't marry someone of my own gender. Her reasoning was simple: Society isn't built to support gay couples, and I would be inviting bigots into my life. I initially thought she was homophobic or just didn't understand - but she's right. Does that mean I'll never marry someone of my own gender? No, but the reality is that the longer away from home and the norm I marry, the harder life will be for us. EDIT: This conversation happened between two white, high-middle class Europeans in 2022 - yet the concern is unfortunately still valid :/
@@nivyan It's a weird feeling to be told "so happy for you" and "but don't do this thing" in the same conversation, isn't it? I feel like these conversations are a hold-over from a different time for some of our parents.
@@abelievingchristian Oof I empathise with your take on that... I felt the same crawling feeling when people would describe which "parts" of me would go best with my husband if we had kids. Like I'm glad that you have a positive intent, but OMG. Ultimately, when it comes to family, I try to see the conversation in terms of them caring for me and wanting to save me from hassle. Logically, it makes no sense to protest (I'm already in love) but they can't help being worried. They just have to trust the process. :D Strangers can go jump in a lake, though... at that point it's just mean. lol
I expected him to show that clip! Weird coincidence if he just didn't think or know about it but made the same comparison. I mentioned it in a comment but it got removed... Was it because I gave the name of Paul Mooney's character when he gave that line on Chapelle Show?
My parents split up when I was 15. My dad who was my everything took off and didn’t see him much after that. For years I’d only see him at divorce court when his lawyer would pull me and my brother out of school to testify to whatever narrative he was selling that time. The Will Smith scene had teenage me bawling on the couch. It gets me every time. Amazing acting. I just wished I had an uncle Phil to step in. Great analysis, Jose.
Having this level of talent in the cast of a sitcom was a very rare thing in the 1990s. Will went on to be a superstar and he's like the 4th best actor there.
I mean. The draw of Will Smith was never really his acting talent. It's the Will Smith-yness of it all. Most of his roles are basically the same person, just in different situations & different ages.
@@AnaMaria-wt3ix is that true though? He's been in a couple of comedies but a couple of serious roles too. You gonna say that Hitch and Shark Tale feature the same Will as Pursuit of Happiness and Gemini Man?
This series was a master class in brilliant character moments. Phil's Mom was just a guest character, and they managed to use her brief time in the spotlight to help us get to know her as well as we already knew the rest of the family. ;D
The "clumsy leaps in logic" Viola makes during interracial marriage conversation with Will are actually realistic. Stressed out parents are masters of it. Sidenote: Viola looks waaaay better than I gave her credit for due to the idiocy of my youth. Good work, Jose
1) I agree that it isn’t unrealistic, though it is a little clumsily written. Logic tends to be a lot more sound in our minds than it is when shared out loud, so Viola just straight up saying, “She isn’t doing what I’m saying, therefore she doesn’t love me,” is a little weird. Again, not unrealistic by any means, just a bit awkward from a writing perspective. I think it’s actually kinda funny, since Will’s response is both realistic and well-written. 2) 100% Viola is just...goddamn
@@supermutantsam1160 1) "Clumsily written" is a better way of putting it. If conversation in film was totally realistic, it would be hard on the ears, lol. The demographic that character represents will relate, but it doesn't translate "Vi"-ably to those unfamiliar. 2) Haha!
I mean we'll never know for sure what happened, but can you blame Janet for being salty? Older dark-skinned black women have such a hard time in Hollywood as is, and then to be replaced by light-skinned woman was just rubbing salt in the wound.
@IntrepidFinch it hard to say but I could imagine that Will was hesitant as a young black actor to use his position to put pressure on the studio to negotiate better pay for his coworkers he was not that big of a star he had few pophits but no Hollywood career at that time
@@sheepwool9319 Also I believe I heard that Will Smith was going broke at the time during his 80s music career, so he had to sign on to the show. I could be wrong.
As a person that was adopted from birth. The moment when after Will's dad leave and he ask "Why don't he want me? " I felt every single emotion and thing he was trying convay. It hit me very deep in heart.
@@jonplaud hey, thank you. But it’s really okay. I did everything in my power to make it work without fundamentally changing myself and I have to be content with that. I think I’ll always relate to Will’s anger and resentment but i also have his resolve to move forward. There’s a part of me that will be defined by that frustration, but I get to choose how I move forward. So thank you, genuinely, for your sympathy, but I’ll be okay :)
I love this first lecture from uncle Phil. When he mentioned the bigotry he encountered, it’s like he was Also saying “I dealt and overcome that stuff so that you could run your mouth off”. This was a guy who never once forgot where he came from no matter how well he did for himself. It’s a lesson for all of us to remember our background no matter how well we do
@IntrepidFinch yeah man these videos are really hitting my wheelhouse of interest. I've watched so many sitcoms that I've always wanted content like this but can never find it anywhere for the most part few exceptions
You said that the interracial marriage episode is out of date but I deal with this convo all the time both with my relationship (me being black and my fiance being white) and my friend's relationship (her being white and her bf being half black half mexican)
So true. My partner is black and when I was pregnant with our baby and we were out together people would stare at us like we were making the baby right in front of them.
It’s a shame that it’s still a thing, I always see posts on Twitter or tiktok when there’s a white boyfriend/fiancé involved, they go and attack said boyfriend for not being black or any race, it’s such a shame it’s still not being accepted
As someone who grew up without my dad actively in my life (I know him and we've spoken and been in touch a few times, but it really was mostly like Will's relationship with his father.) That one scene always hit so hard for me because it exactly represented what I wanted to say but for some reason couldn't. I harbored a great resentment for my dad and watching that scene as a 10-12 year old at the time, it was the first time I felt some relief. As if I was the one venting my anger and frustration. I never really was able to talk about those feelings I had but that was the first time I felt understood for some reason. I vividly remember my mom coming into my room because I was sobbing infront of my TV and it became the first time I could speak to my mom about it. It just goes to show how powerful a message can be..
Hey Jose, I had to stop the video when you got to the story about wills aunt marrying a white man. I know that it feels very antiquated and in most places it should, but as a white guy who is married to black woman in a predominantly black area with a mixed race child, I have heard all the things expressed by wills mom directed at my wife. I've been called her white knight, she's been told she doesnt respect her parents, that she hates her blackness, that she's only with me for money (which... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!), a lot of these things that are expressed in the 90s still in 2020. It really depends on where you live too. The Midwest isn't very friendly to irrs like ours. We're the outlier. I've noticed more couples like us recently, but we also hear the same stories of glaring by people of both races and the awkwardness of treating our love like it's a fetish. When I heard wills mom, I heard the unsolicited opinion of black people reacting to my own relationship. Just for a little expansion on what is being said. Thank you for this video. It is great.
@@WetBoy no black person (unless their cool with it or are fine as long as it's a joke) would like being called that word, it's massively disrespectful,
The episode on interracial relationships is interesting because while Viola takes her apprehension too far, her concerns are 1,000% valid, and continue to be so to this very day. Interracial relationships are *not* the same as intraracial ones and come with more challenges both internally and externally. That doesn't make them inherently bad, but to argue otherwise is naive at best.
But that isn't my problem. If other people have a problem with my relationship, it is there problem. Not mine. I'm not going deny myself a chance of love just because other people won't catch up.
@drosera where it my comment did I blame anyone? The problems with interracial relationships certainly did start because of white people, but I didn't mention anyone in my comment.
I don't know why but that scene where Will just breaks down after his father bails on him like that just resonated so deeply with me, even though my own father is with us. (Even though it honestly feels like he isn't, but at least he provides for the family) I have never seen this show before in my life, but that was the first thing to make me cry in years now... It's a really wonderful preformance.
So I used to work with the infants in a daycare and there was a little girl named Karlee. I called her Karlton and eventually taught her to do the dance on command lol. Of course she did her baby modified version of it, but it was still fun to tell her, "Karlee do the Karlton!" and have her dance lol.
Part of why the dads from Fresh Prince and Family Matters were easy to confuse, despite their massive size difference is because the entire show of Family Matters was cast around his height to make him look bigger. They were all tiny. Except then Urkle grew... a LOT and had to progressively exaggerate the way he bends to hide how much he towered over the father.
When you mentioned code switching wow thank you. But you also missed something about will, is that he was chosen bc he was a “clean rapper” which was super fucking important then. I’m only sixteen minutes in so you could’ve mentioned this later lol but just wanted to point that out. Edit: when you’ve seen the yt poop of the jail scene too many times to take it seriously ALSO IN THE HOUSE OMG!!!!
A year later this popped up in my recommendations from RUclips and I'm glad it did, this was well done. I'll admit too, that scene of Will as Lou was leaving still hits hard. Brought a tear to my eye, it was such a well delivered scene.
"Uncle Phil" a truly wonderful character a piece of family we can all appreciate or wish we had, a good man who doesn't necessarily hold all the right views but is willing to re-examine what he believes when he is shown a flaw in it and correct it
I cried during the "how come he don't want me, man" scene when i first watched it out of context, when i watched it in context and now when i saw it in this video. jesus, it's such a powerful scene and both will and james avery's acting is impeccable. edit: uncle phil's worried face just broke me again. makes me want to hug my dad.
It's so weird, I've never actively watched any of the shows José has talked about so far, and yet I keep watching these videos for hours and they are so fun xD Great work man, keep it up.
@@agentc7020 I can’t speak on the younger people but there is some shows that come on so much in reruns that you can watch them by mistake randomly like Seinfeld,friends,everybody loves Raymond etc
Will's rant about his father after he took off made me cry... because i've gone through that. I'm really happy this exists but god i got errands to run right now i can't be in tears
This was my favorite show when I was a kid, the cast had brilliant comedic timing. So thankful that all the stars aligned to make this show happen. There has been nothing quite like it before or since.
I cried like a baby during the Lou episode. I remember calling my dad afterward & he was surprised because I never just called to chat like that. Made me appreciate what I had.
Great video. That was quite a twist at the ending, though; I didn't even know a dark and gritty reboot of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", of all things, was something I wanted, but here we are.
Used to watch this show all the time as a kid. A lot of the racial jokes went over my head back then, but the argument between Will and Cartlon after they got arrested left an impression.
Had the same experience when I found out that bit of trivia. It's really obviously him once you know but I never made the connection. Might be because the character being Asian threw me off
I am 40 years old and love this show so much, and even after so long, the scene with Will crying and asking Uncle Phil why his father doesn't want him, punches me in the damn gut and makes me cry every single time. Truly an iconic moment in television.
Thank you for this. I grew up in a small town in Iowa and this was one of my fav shows growing up. It gave me a glimpse into black America while still being relatable and entertaining. Loved this retrospective. I learned even more
While I don't know if I would call it my favorite show of all time, Fresh Prince has a special place in my heart simply because I have a very similar relationship to one of my uncles that Will has to Uncle Phil. The circumstances are different, he lived with my family until I was six when he moved out permanently to be with who now is his wife, and I've stayed in their house a couple of nights. But, like Uncle Phil, he was a hell of a lot more of a father to me than my absentee father ever was. I honestly consider myself lucky that, unlike Will, I've never met the sperm donor that was required for me to be born. If I do end up meeting him now, that's fine, I'm out of childhood, I'm not getting it mixed up. I will always, if asked who my father was, tell whoever asks me that my mom pulled double duty with the help of my grandma and that my special tio was my father figure. He is my personal Uncle Phil.
"Airing in the 1990's it seems a bit out-of-date then and in 2020 it seems even more antiquated." I am in the same relationship and I can tell you it is not outdated in the slightest. I have had family treat me differently, been yelled at on the street, and been isolated in restaurants even in the cultural melting pot that is Miami. Racism and ignorance will take decades to weed out of the culture and is not a war to be belittle or trivialize. I highly enjoy your videos and the honourable mentions of the difficult topics within each show. However, I would like to highlight that each of the major issues in these shows I promise are still effecting people in major ways even a century after these sitcoms are off the air.
Jose, between this and your Roseanne reviews, you really are such a magnificent content creator and video essayist, using the form to best of its capacity. Thank you so much for your work and all the insight and entertainment it's given me.
I felt so spoiled when I saw this upload and it’s length. What’d we do to deserve such an in-depth deep dive of an interesting topic? You’re too good to us, José. I hope you have a beautiful weekend. 🥰
TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 5:51 Building Bel Air 12:14 Season 1 32:52 Season 2 42:30 Season 3 50:00 The Aunt Vivian Thing 54:26 Season 4 1:07:17 Season 5 1:13:47 Season 6 1:20:16 Farewell, Dope Prince
Honestly I liked the thing about Will constantly repeating pick up lines because I feel I shows the shallowness of womanizing (or like manizing I guess) without being super preachy about it. I also really like that fan trailer, because it really shows the thing that was just in the background in the show. It showed how fucked Will must've been in his old life. Because, let's be honest, his mum wouldn't send him away like that, thousands of miles, only able to see him once or twice a year, if hadn't been in real real danger. This was more than a fight on a basketball court. And I'd really liked that explored further.
The episode with frank is something that I as a white person sees, if I wanted to date a black woman people would act exactly the same and may even lose family. I’m glad they did it the way they did and those leaps in logic aren’t that off because I’ve heard responses like that before.
One thing you seem to have glossed over, was that a large part in Will Smith's decison to do Fresh Prince, was that he was massively in debt to the IRS due to tax evasion.
Firstly, I love your series on sitcoms. Another great episode! Secondly, it's amazing to see how much your channel has grown from a few thousand subscribers. You deserve it.
The fact that The Fresh Prince had 2 of Bill Cosby's daughters (Vanessa from The Cosby Show and Dianne from Ghost Dad), Regine from Living Single, and Fancy from Jaime Foxx Show, all talking bout Nia Long leaving him at the altar is legendary. Dated every Black woman from our childhood on that show. @1:11:56
I scrolled through waaaaay too many comments before I saw a Shredder reference...which is what I was looking for. Thank you for being the person that came through.
@@johnnythewalrus I can't believe no one else mentioned it! I know he's Uncle Phil to most people, but to me he and Krang are still stuck in Dimension X lol!
José, I seriously have to thank you and your retrospective from the bottom of my heart for my rediscovery of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I remembered liking this show ever since I was a child all thanks to Will Smith's affable charm and his interpersonal fraternal chemistry with Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton. Furthermore, James Avery as Uncle Phil was one of the best television dads of all time thanks to his toughness, sagacity, well-roundedness, and ability to never take crap from anybody. I also loved Janet Hubert as Aunt Viv because she was a strong matriarch with abundant urgency. Daphne Maxwell Reid's Aunt Viv was decent, but I think the problem was how the writers could not figure out what to do with Aunt Viv after Season 3 due to Janet Hubert's pregnancy and a butt-load of contention she had to deal with in her home life as well as with the young Will Smith which was thankfully resolved after over thirty years. In the show proper, it was clear to see that the kids from Hilary to Will to Carlton to Ashley were all growing up, branching out to new arenas, and were having storylines that saw them growing mentally as well as physically, especially where Ashley's metamorphosis from sweet young tween to sassy headstrong teenager was concerned. Therefore, Aunt Viv from Seasons 4 to 6 felt like more of an afterthought for the writers which was why her characterisation suffered. Nowadays, as a grown-up, I still love The Fresh Prince of Bel Air with all of my heart. It is a great combination of laugh-out-loud comedy, human drama, and overall intelligent writing that never talked down to its audience. Everything about Fresh Prince of Bel Air made me have a huge smile on my face, and I cherish this show to this very day.
Oh, I wouldn't blame Will Smith for Suicide Squad sucking. If anything, him, Margot Robbie, and the completely underused Ike Barinholtz made the film tolerable.
Ugh. Can you believe that the writer is blaming Deadpool being successful for the movie getting screwed up? Sure, WB does meddle like hell with their movies and should hastag release ALL the cuts, but the entire movie was screwed up anyway. They didn't need another world ending wannabe Avengers level threat. Joker should have been the main villain and Harley should have had some eternal struggle that would have either ended with her betraying him or betraying the rest of the group. Instead of Joker and Harley being reduced to a Hot Topic merchandising line for teenage girls. And the writer SWEARS there was something like that in the original script, but I doubt enough to save the move from the lame ass generic world ending Boogyman crap. The actors did their best and had as much fun as they could, but the only thing that would have made it worse is if Zach Snyder directed it.
Trevor got did dirty, screw Lou and they fourth wall breaking here 1:07:41 was epic along with “we so rich but don’t have a roof” & “who playing the mother this year?”😭😭😭😭
Been waiting for this! Growing up in the projects my friends and I used to half joke that this show raised us. I say half joke because though it was a little hyperbolic, we were also sincere.
The original title of this video was "Yo Home to Bel Air", and the title card in the video still reflects that. It's a reference to the title of the theme song. But since people are confusing it with when Will shouts out "Yo Homes to Bel Air" during the opening credits, I've changed it to the more memorable line.
And apologies for two errors in the video. I pronounced Nia Long's first name incorrectly, and the footage from the Eddie Murphy special I used is from Raw, not Delirious.
I was afraid that you rip the show apart because I loved it as a Kid to, luckily this video is more admiration then critic and I tear up a few times even so I am not very nostalgic, thanks for brining back the memories
@@sheepwool9319 Really? Jose never rips things apart--unless they're Ben Shapiro's novels. Even when it comes to the most unwatchable of '90s sitcoms (Fresh Prince is decidedly among the most watchable), far from ripping them apart, he mines them for gold.
@@freddychopin maybe I was wording things a little to strong, what I mean was that the other shows he talk about had a couple of flaws some pretty bad and I was afraid that The Fresh Prince of Bel Air hat some to that my younger self didn't realize and now the positive memory would be tainted
am I missing why you used holmes instead of homes, and dropped the comma after yo?
@@surfacerust it actually is "holmes"; "homes" is the alternate spelling, not the other way around. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/holmes
Uncle Phil is one of the greatest sitcom dads ever. The scene when Lou leaves, and you can see the emotion on Uncle Phil's face, because Will is hurting, gets to me every time.
That was such a powerful scene
Rather deal with Al bundy the guy would be a hoot to hang with and kick some ass
You got that right
Can't watch it without crying.
Everyone loves that scene and I understand why. But I actually think Will dials it up a bit too much; however, James is amazing.
Fresh Prince of Bel Air has one of the best fourth wall breaks too
"If we so rich how come we don't have no ceiling"
😂😂
Who's gone play the mother this year
There's something different about you
@@nigelnyoni8265what the fuck are you on about
The thing i liked the most about Uncle Phil in the scene were Will's dad runs out on him again, was that he didnt say anything. His character so often gave these great little speeches to his kids, to make them learn a lesson or realize a truth they had overlooked. But in that scene Uncle Phil didnt try to have some big speech about family, and love, and strength. He just stood there and gave his nephew a hug because that's what he needed more than anything else.
That’s my favorite scene in the entire show
He also said to Will after they finished the scene, "Now, that's acting....."
Another thing about this is that Uncle Phil just let's Will yell and be angry and feel all the emotions he's been bottling up since he was little. Normally if Will would've gotten that mad about something Phil would have said something about "being the bigger person" or "raising above your situation " but that's not what Will needs. Will needs to be able to feel all the stuff he normally just pushed down and Phil let's him do that. Gives him the space, the moment to do that. Yeah sure he had to let Will lash out vaguely in his direction but he knows his anger isn't with him and that once he gets past all that anger he'll finally be able to work past all the other things he feels about his father leaving. All the "unmanly" feelings he had used the anger to hide. And in the end Phil was still there, to love and support him. Honestly one of the best scenes of men supporting men out there
@@cutecat304 I fully agree and love how you put it
As a child whose father was very inconsistent in my life that scene breaks me every time. My dad (my stepdad) was often in the Uncle Phil role. He often was the one to hold me up when I cried or screamed about why my father didn’t want me.
Even though Will Smith has had an incredibly successful career and has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters, his absolute best performance will forever be in the "how come he don't want me man" scene in a TV sitcom. It really was the performance of a lifetime.
Pursuit of Happyness was a bit sappy but he gives a moving performance in that as well.
you never seen ali have you?
No it wasn't why do people always have to over do it 🙄
The performance of a lifetime is not what I would call it. But it definitely is a very moving and real scene, it gets me every time.
@@jayanthony2414 I mean it was smiths real emotions about his own father coming out, I understand how you can see it as over dramatic but I feel its just a dude that has a lot of feeling that needed to come out
Oh god, the "How come he don't want me, man" scene gets me every time. I can't /not/ tear up.
As someone who had a deadbeat dad too, I was sobbing so much I forgot I was watching Jose's video and not the show >.
Bruh.... that scene was so well done...
Every time. But I don't remember the statue being part of the scene. That really added to it..
Jose's theme song led me to believe there would be less ugly crying watching this video than there was at that point.
After all these years, I still cry HARD every time I see that scene. It was the moment I realized Will Smith had become an real actor. Excellent work and powerful subject matter. Makes me grateful to have the best, most supportive and loving Daddy!
One of the best scenes is when Carlton goes IN on the fraternity leader for calling him a “sellout”, because of how he grew up. As a Black man who had different interests growing up(didn’t grow up rich, but liked things that weren’t considered “Black”), Carlton’s speech has always resonated with me. “Being Black isn’t what I’m trying to be, it’s what I am.” Still hits home years later. It’s gotten better, but sadly, we still have some brothers and sisters with this mentality 😞
You racist
I was like Carlton
"If you don't vote in me, you ain't black" quote by the current President elected by many black americans
@@leonreborn1308 Between that and “There’s my African American” , seems like shit choices to me.
@@stevonwhite8933 Yup. Especially considering that one was successfully sued in the 70s for not renting to "Coloreds." He'd literally mark their file with a C for "colored" and toss their applications in the trash. That's real, intentional, old school racism. And everyone just glossed over it.
And people wonder why Biden won dispite his gaffes while trying to sound cool on the radio...
I want James Avery to tell me he's proud of me.
Or maybe he could tell at you...
"get them yooooou fools"
I’m proud of you, son.
Don’t lie, you just read that in his voice.
You’re welcome.
@@Arjay82 lol....that's the one, Perfect'
I think that’s all anyone wants.
I love all the fourth-wall breaks. "Who's playing the mother this year?" is my favorite
Also, "if we so rich, how come we ain't got no ceiling?" And when Carlton runs around crying after will "kills" Lisa lol
Baby Nicky got big...
Hahahaha the episode when they were talking about the one guy Will wouldn't fight and Will says "The dude that be spinning me over his head in the opening credits".
@@JaxLittlesThat’s a good one!
Uncle Phil and Uncle Iroh are everyone's favorite uncles
Uncle who ???
I love ATLA. Uncle iroh is my favorite
Both with fabulous beards
Both great
1000% agree~
i cried when Uncle Phill spoke about Malcom X. wow. elevating the script aint even the word. man is a legend, forever one of my biggest role models.
What a nice surprise coming across you in the comments 😄 This is a great video!
@@Ultra1884 OMG haha!! how coooool, its the wonderful ULTRA!!!! love this video, come to watch it again :) never got a notification about this comment haha! hope your keeping well and staying safe :D
Now, this is an essay all about how
Will Smith turned José's life around
And he'd like to take an hour
Just sit right there
He'll tell you how he became a fan of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
👏👏👏
You win
👏👏👏
Nice!
2nd3rd1st you may have started out 2nd, got 3rd, but you’re forever first now!
I watched this right after the Cosby one... I really do suggest that! The contrast between the affluence of the family on the Cosby show and the Fresh Prince family is amazing. The writing and the topics are vastly different and it's really eye opening.
one likely required the other to exist
I did the same thing!
Doing the same thing!
"First things first - rest in peace Uncle Phil. For real."
"I want a real love, dark-skinned Aunt Viv love."
that's that ride-or-die love
“ That Jada and that Will lo- “ *actually maybe not* 👀
@@__Babaaaa MAMMA NOOOOO!!!!
🥰🥰🥰
My mom abandoned me when I was 2. That episode with Will's dad was such a huge thing for me. Relating to a parent leaving, and the pain it can cause, made me cry my eyes put. It was nice to know I wasn't alone in that pain.
My mom died when I was 5. Imagine it has a similar suck feeling.
Just wondering if you have any contact or desire to see your birth mother?
I don't understand God's plan but I really hope his plan has a purpose I can't see.
I almost asked what color you were. After thinking about pain has no color.
I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years and honestly seeing James Avery in a vegetarian restaurant was my all-time favorite celebrity sighting. RIP Uncle Phil.
1:04:16 "The single tear, that's pulling him down, and uncle phil is there to hold him up." Damn that's some good writing.
That classic scene with Will and Uncle Phil about Lou still makes me cry. What a powerful performance by both of them.
I know - I just started tearing up hard watching that scene again here. Such raw emotion. You can see exactly what's going through Uncle Phil's mind the whole time - his heart breaks for Will, as Will's heart is also breaking. Really powerful scene, especially for a 90s sitcom.
And to us without dads, our favorite dad characters:)
It's ridiculous. Silly 90s sitcom and makes me blubber and sob so much. What a performance
When they went over that "Will's dad leaving again" episode, I tried so hard not to cry. Not only cause it reminds me of my life and the fact that my real dad left me and mom when i was young, but because Uncle Phil reminds me of my Step-Dad. And on top of that with James Avery sadly being gone, that ep hits close to home for that reason as well. Cause not only was he the dad to the Banks family, but us 90s kids felt like he was our dad as well. And because of how much Uncle Phil reminds me of my Step-Dad, and how much of a father he's become to me as well, this ep and show will always hit me with the feels.
Keep these coming, they are great discussions on what we should have learned from 90s tv, and what we did.
We all chuckled and did nothing at all. Just as we're doing nothing now. We're not even calling for another Timmy
@@YourRealBestFriend wh wh what a g g great awdience.
I can tell you that unfortunately Viola's concerns about her sister marrying a white man in the 90s were NOT uncommon. I got the same well-meaning concern from my family when I married a Korean man, and his family wanted NOTHING to do with me at all. I literally never met them the whole time we were married. This did not help my mother's opinion of the struggles we would face, either. Both sets of parents were largely incorrect about what we ran into, by the way, but the fear and concern was born from all too recent events. The oddest discrimination we ever faced was people appalled that we were not having kids because "Amer-Asian babies are sooooo cute." /facepalm/
But you aren't married anymore?
@@cryguy0000 No, to be fair though the reasons had nothing to do with discrimination.
I'll add to this: When I found out that I was bisexual and told my mother, she was very happy for me and supportive. But she insisted that I shouldn't marry someone of my own gender. Her reasoning was simple: Society isn't built to support gay couples, and I would be inviting bigots into my life. I initially thought she was homophobic or just didn't understand - but she's right.
Does that mean I'll never marry someone of my own gender? No, but the reality is that the longer away from home and the norm I marry, the harder life will be for us.
EDIT: This conversation happened between two white, high-middle class Europeans in 2022 - yet the concern is unfortunately still valid :/
@@nivyan It's a weird feeling to be told "so happy for you" and "but don't do this thing" in the same conversation, isn't it? I feel like these conversations are a hold-over from a different time for some of our parents.
@@abelievingchristian Oof I empathise with your take on that... I felt the same crawling feeling when people would describe which "parts" of me would go best with my husband if we had kids. Like I'm glad that you have a positive intent, but OMG. Ultimately, when it comes to family, I try to see the conversation in terms of them caring for me and wanting to save me from hassle. Logically, it makes no sense to protest (I'm already in love) but they can't help being worried. They just have to trust the process. :D Strangers can go jump in a lake, though... at that point it's just mean. lol
I now understand where “Wayne Brady makes Bryant Gumble look like Malcom X” comes from.
I expected him to show that clip! Weird coincidence if he just didn't think or know about it but made the same comparison. I mentioned it in a comment but it got removed... Was it because I gave the name of Paul Mooney's character when he gave that line on Chapelle Show?
@@donnylurch4207 lmfao!! You don’t gotta be “Nostradamus” to see why it got deleted!
@@Bldyiii I guess so! I didn't know that was verboten but, my bad.
"Ah shit, it's Wayne Brady son!" -Mos Def
😂😂😂
Carlton's dance is just pure joy. Never fails to bring a smile to my face.
*_pft_*_ If we so rich, how come we can’t afford a roof?_
THAT WAS THE BEST LINE LMFAOOO 💀💀💀
That scene alone is still one my top favorite scenes in this show. 😂
Well, Will, we're trying to pay for that fourth wall you just broke.
I remember seeing this on tv as a kid and dying of laughter
man, it’s even funnier the 8th comment in a row!
My parents split up when I was 15. My dad who was my everything took off and didn’t see him much after that. For years I’d only see him at divorce court when his lawyer would pull me and my brother out of school to testify to whatever narrative he was selling that time. The Will Smith scene had teenage me bawling on the couch. It gets me every time. Amazing acting. I just wished I had an uncle Phil to step in. Great analysis, Jose.
So sad
Having this level of talent in the cast of a sitcom was a very rare thing in the 1990s. Will went on to be a superstar and he's like the 4th best actor there.
I mean. The draw of Will Smith was never really his acting talent. It's the Will Smith-yness of it all. Most of his roles are basically the same person, just in different situations & different ages.
THIS!
Seems like he took the title “prince” really well
@@AnaMaria-wt3ix is that true though? He's been in a couple of comedies but a couple of serious roles too. You gonna say that Hitch and Shark Tale feature the same Will as Pursuit of Happiness and Gemini Man?
This series was a master class in brilliant character moments. Phil's Mom was just a guest character, and they managed to use her brief time in the spotlight to help us get to know her as well as we already knew the rest of the family. ;D
The "clumsy leaps in logic" Viola makes during interracial marriage conversation with Will are actually realistic. Stressed out parents are masters of it. Sidenote: Viola looks waaaay better than I gave her credit for due to the idiocy of my youth. Good work, Jose
You said everything I was thinking
@@Aeviae Glad to hear it, man. Vi was looking fine and quite MILFish
1) I agree that it isn’t unrealistic, though it is a little clumsily written. Logic tends to be a lot more sound in our minds than it is when shared out loud, so Viola just straight up saying, “She isn’t doing what I’m saying, therefore she doesn’t love me,” is a little weird. Again, not unrealistic by any means, just a bit awkward from a writing perspective. I think it’s actually kinda funny, since Will’s response is both realistic and well-written.
2) 100% Viola is just...goddamn
@@supermutantsam1160 1) "Clumsily written" is a better way of putting it. If conversation in film was totally realistic, it would be hard on the ears, lol. The demographic that character represents will relate, but it doesn't translate "Vi"-ably to those unfamiliar.
2) Haha!
Will never get tired of this show. Endlessly quotable, Endlessly funny & Endlessly emotional. A great video for all Fresh Prince fans
I mean we'll never know for sure what happened, but can you blame Janet for being salty? Older dark-skinned black women have such a hard time in Hollywood as is, and then to be replaced by light-skinned woman was just rubbing salt in the wound.
@IntrepidFinch it hard to say but I could imagine that Will was hesitant as a young black actor to use his position to put pressure on the studio to negotiate better pay for his coworkers he was not that big of a star he had few pophits but no Hollywood career at that time
I've only read into it a little bit but as far as I can tell she was just 'extra' onset. Still can't decide which Aunt Viv I like better though.
It warmed my heart to see them reconcile after that fued had gone on too long
@@sheepwool9319 Also I believe I heard that Will Smith was going broke at the time during his 80s music career, so he had to sign on to the show. I could be wrong.
@@29AndreG he was broke and owed money to the IRS.
As a person that was adopted from birth. The moment when after Will's dad leave and he ask "Why don't he want me? " I felt every single emotion and thing he was trying convay. It hit me very deep in heart.
Agree! Adopted at age 5 and that scene always got me.
Blessings to you!💕
Tearing up and laughing at the scene with will and his dad because I no longer speak to my father who also happens to be named will Smith
I am so sorry.
@@jonplaud hey, thank you. But it’s really okay. I did everything in my power to make it work without fundamentally changing myself and I have to be content with that. I think I’ll always relate to Will’s anger and resentment but i also have his resolve to move forward. There’s a part of me that will be defined by that frustration, but I get to choose how I move forward. So thank you, genuinely, for your sympathy, but I’ll be okay :)
Will Smith is ur dad😲
I love this first lecture from uncle Phil. When he mentioned the bigotry he encountered, it’s like he was Also saying “I dealt and overcome that stuff so that you could run your mouth off”. This was a guy who never once forgot where he came from no matter how well he did for himself. It’s a lesson for all of us to remember our background no matter how well we do
So true
More sitcoms please. it's so good, these videos are drugs.
@IntrepidFinch yeah man these videos are really hitting my wheelhouse of interest. I've watched so many sitcoms that I've always wanted content like this but can never find it anywhere for the most part few exceptions
the roseanne video is one of my all time favs
Yess!! I'm honestly surprised there aren't more channels that do videos like this.
@@pigslaundry5593 Probably because watching a sitcoms takes hours watch.
The fact that even an analysis of the scene with James avery and will Smith still makes me cry shows the impact of this sit com. The hell with him!
You said that the interracial marriage episode is out of date but I deal with this convo all the time both with my relationship (me being black and my fiance being white) and my friend's relationship (her being white and her bf being half black half mexican)
Yeah its still a thing even if it doesn't seem like it
So true. My partner is black and when I was pregnant with our baby and we were out together people would stare at us like we were making the baby right in front of them.
Yeah, it's not really out of date for the 90s, my sister and I both got a version of that conversation in the 90s
It’s a shame that it’s still a thing, I always see posts on Twitter or tiktok when there’s a white boyfriend/fiancé involved, they go and attack said boyfriend for not being black or any race, it’s such a shame it’s still not being accepted
I agree, that part of this video seems odd. Defenitly not antiquated and still exists.
As someone who grew up without my dad actively in my life (I know him and we've spoken and been in touch a few times, but it really was mostly like Will's relationship with his father.) That one scene always hit so hard for me because it exactly represented what I wanted to say but for some reason couldn't. I harbored a great resentment for my dad and watching that scene as a 10-12 year old at the time, it was the first time I felt some relief. As if I was the one venting my anger and frustration. I never really was able to talk about those feelings I had but that was the first time I felt understood for some reason. I vividly remember my mom coming into my room because I was sobbing infront of my TV and it became the first time I could speak to my mom about it.
It just goes to show how powerful a message can be..
How do you find Will Smith in a Blizzard? (you look for the fresh prints)
Lol I rly liked this silly pun so came to say so 😸
........................ BWAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA lol thanks for that.
god this is hilarious
😐
(🤣😂😂🤣)
Very funny
Hey Jose, I had to stop the video when you got to the story about wills aunt marrying a white man. I know that it feels very antiquated and in most places it should, but as a white guy who is married to black woman in a predominantly black area with a mixed race child, I have heard all the things expressed by wills mom directed at my wife. I've been called her white knight, she's been told she doesnt respect her parents, that she hates her blackness, that she's only with me for money (which... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!), a lot of these things that are expressed in the 90s still in 2020. It really depends on where you live too. The Midwest isn't very friendly to irrs like ours. We're the outlier. I've noticed more couples like us recently, but we also hear the same stories of glaring by people of both races and the awkwardness of treating our love like it's a fetish. When I heard wills mom, I heard the unsolicited opinion of black people reacting to my own relationship. Just for a little expansion on what is being said. Thank you for this video. It is great.
Does she let you call her the n word when you guys get freaky?
@@WetBoy the fuck? No. Why would I want to?
@@WetBoy no black person (unless their cool with it or are fine as long as it's a joke) would like being called that word, it's massively disrespectful,
@@WetBoy wtf is wrong with you?
@@WetBoy "tell me you have a racism fetish without telling me you have a racism fetish"
The episode on interracial relationships is interesting because while Viola takes her apprehension too far, her concerns are 1,000% valid, and continue to be so to this very day. Interracial relationships are *not* the same as intraracial ones and come with more challenges both internally and externally. That doesn't make them inherently bad, but to argue otherwise is naive at best.
But that isn't my problem. If other people have a problem with my relationship, it is there problem. Not mine. I'm not going deny myself a chance of love just because other people won't catch up.
@drosera where it my comment did I blame anyone? The problems with interracial relationships certainly did start because of white people, but I didn't mention anyone in my comment.
@@angelsmusic2560 that has nothing to do with what I said, but power to you
@@TY-oy9bp You wrote the comment and I am allowed to give my 2 cents.
@drosera White people were the ones who made it illegal so...
I don't know why but that scene where Will just breaks down after his father bails on him like that just resonated so deeply with me, even though my own father is with us. (Even though it honestly feels like he isn't, but at least he provides for the family)
I have never seen this show before in my life, but that was the first thing to make me cry in years now... It's a really wonderful preformance.
So I used to work with the infants in a daycare and there was a little girl named Karlee. I called her Karlton and eventually taught her to do the dance on command lol. Of course she did her baby modified version of it, but it was still fun to tell her, "Karlee do the Karlton!" and have her dance lol.
"Leftist antifa enslaves child to dance for their amusement, has antifa gone too far?"
@@uzimyspecial So *that's* how we get the adrenochrome.
This is why you have to choose a child care provider very carefully.
@@uzimyspecial I laughed, and then checked Twitter to see if this was a real conspiracy yet.
RIP James Avery. We love you, Uncle Phil.
Part of why the dads from Fresh Prince and Family Matters were easy to confuse, despite their massive size difference is because the entire show of Family Matters was cast around his height to make him look bigger. They were all tiny. Except then Urkle grew... a LOT and had to progressively exaggerate the way he bends to hide how much he towered over the father.
Yeah after about season 5 or 6 he stopped looking like that little nerdy kid. I think after these few seasons they let him stop bending
Uncle Phil had a lighter skin tone than Carl.
Eddie Winslow wasnt Tiny lol..even bigger than Urkel
I love Jose's deep dives into 1990's television! I can't wait for the next one.
When you mentioned code switching wow thank you. But you also missed something about will, is that he was chosen bc he was a “clean rapper” which was super fucking important then. I’m only sixteen minutes in so you could’ve mentioned this later lol but just wanted to point that out.
Edit: when you’ve seen the yt poop of the jail scene too many times to take it seriously ALSO IN THE HOUSE OMG!!!!
I m
H e n r y f i r t h
@@jasonjean5333 HEY!!! You don't to my wife that way!
I'm Henry Firth.
As Eminem wisely said:
""Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell records."
Well, I do, so fuck him and fuck you too!"
@@Darkko88 You think I give a damn about a Grammy?
@@serenitymoon825 Half of you critics can't even stomach me, let alone stand me
A year later this popped up in my recommendations from RUclips and I'm glad it did, this was well done.
I'll admit too, that scene of Will as Lou was leaving still hits hard. Brought a tear to my eye, it was such a well delivered scene.
Damn Carlton is *jacked.*
"Uncle Phil" a truly wonderful character a piece of family we can all appreciate or wish we had, a good man who doesn't necessarily hold all the right views but is willing to re-examine what he believes when he is shown a flaw in it and correct it
I cried during the "how come he don't want me, man" scene when i first watched it out of context, when i watched it in context and now when i saw it in this video. jesus, it's such a powerful scene and both will and james avery's acting is impeccable.
edit: uncle phil's worried face just broke me again. makes me want to hug my dad.
It's so weird, I've never actively watched any of the shows José has talked about so far, and yet I keep watching these videos for hours and they are so fun xD
Great work man, keep it up.
How you never saw The Fresh Prince?
@@lochofmceo too young?
@@agentc7020 reruns been on basic cable forever
@@lochofmceo I mean true but like, different generations hardly watch what were once considered must watch's.
@@agentc7020 I can’t speak on the younger people but there is some shows that come on so much in reruns that you can watch them by mistake randomly like Seinfeld,friends,everybody loves Raymond etc
Will's rant about his father after he took off made me cry... because i've gone through that. I'm really happy this exists but god i got errands to run right now i can't be in tears
That "why don't he want me scene" still gets me every time
Love this one. But I'm still holding out for "The Nanny".
I was hopelessly praying you’d make a full Fresh Prince video. I never thought you actually would. I love you.
Boy that episode with Wills Dad still gets me every time to this day. That acting was superb
This was my favorite show when I was a kid, the cast had brilliant comedic timing. So thankful that all the stars aligned to make this show happen. There has been nothing quite like it before or since.
It work very well
I been waiting for this episode (as well as a retrospective of King of the Hill) for a long while
That would be awesome
I would adore a king of the hill retro
I feel like King of the Hill deserves way more in depth video essays than it gets. 😔
I love that first lecture. Phil never once thought he was too good for his work or the wealth he worked so hard to achieve
Props for admitting you're Kellogg lol
Quelaag?
...?
Wtf you doing here
Ugg ug ug
Kellogg was a G tho let's be real
I cried like a baby during the Lou episode. I remember calling my dad afterward & he was surprised because I never just called to chat like that. Made me appreciate what I had.
Great video. That was quite a twist at the ending, though; I didn't even know a dark and gritty reboot of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", of all things, was something I wanted, but here we are.
When Will says “To Hell with him!” in that final scene. That’s where i cry, damn. That rawness. You can hear it.
A new sitcom video from Jose?! Yes!
Trevor's "unfortunate accident" - or rather - the most hilarious death scene ever in a sitcom.
You as someone thst grew up without a biological father and a stepdad that made me feel unwanted, the scene whete his dad leaves kills me.
blame ya mom ..she picked those dudes...sorry to hear about it
Have my love, admittedly some strangers and fleeting. But sincere and well meant nonetheless.
@Smunstu Stinkymonster Ill take the blame
@@BadTV1993 or don't blame anyone, accept the past and move on
@@JarredCarneyOFFICIALBULLDOG good luck in therapy
Used to watch this show all the time as a kid. A lot of the racial jokes went over my head back then, but the argument between Will and Cartlon after they got arrested left an impression.
Uncle Phil was Shredder!?!
Holy crap, how'd I miss that.
Had the same experience when I found out that bit of trivia.
It's really obviously him once you know but I never made the connection.
Might be because the character being Asian threw me off
Omg fr! I felt that in my gut! Who knew Uncle Phil had it in him?!
I like how you put it! Uncle Phil was Shredder...
That explains all the turtle soup they ate on set.
You wild late
I loved the original Aunt Viv !!!
Hubert had so much more heart, and I just enjoyed anytime she was on screen.
I am 40 years old and love this show so much, and even after so long, the scene with Will crying and asking Uncle Phil why his father doesn't want him, punches me in the damn gut and makes me cry every single time. Truly an iconic moment in television.
Thank you for this. I grew up in a small town in Iowa and this was one of my fav shows growing up. It gave me a glimpse into black America while still being relatable and entertaining. Loved this retrospective. I learned even more
This was excellent cant wait for your Golden Girls retrospective
I never realized that alfonso was in the michael jackson pepsi commercial, no wonder he's so good at dancing like MJ!
Golden Girls, Malcolm in the Middle, and Community would be good ones
Golden Grrrrrrrrrlllsss
I gotta watch golden girls
I’m so glad Janet finally buried the hatchet with will
While I don't know if I would call it my favorite show of all time, Fresh Prince has a special place in my heart simply because I have a very similar relationship to one of my uncles that Will has to Uncle Phil. The circumstances are different, he lived with my family until I was six when he moved out permanently to be with who now is his wife, and I've stayed in their house a couple of nights. But, like Uncle Phil, he was a hell of a lot more of a father to me than my absentee father ever was. I honestly consider myself lucky that, unlike Will, I've never met the sperm donor that was required for me to be born. If I do end up meeting him now, that's fine, I'm out of childhood, I'm not getting it mixed up.
I will always, if asked who my father was, tell whoever asks me that my mom pulled double duty with the help of my grandma and that my special tio was my father figure. He is my personal Uncle Phil.
"Airing in the 1990's it seems a bit out-of-date then and in 2020 it seems even more antiquated." I am in the same relationship and I can tell you it is not outdated in the slightest. I have had family treat me differently, been yelled at on the street, and been isolated in restaurants even in the cultural melting pot that is Miami. Racism and ignorance will take decades to weed out of the culture and is not a war to be belittle or trivialize. I highly enjoy your videos and the honourable mentions of the difficult topics within each show. However, I would like to highlight that each of the major issues in these shows I promise are still effecting people in major ways even a century after these sitcoms are off the air.
Did you affected throughout ?
Dude lives in the Internet and think everyone is just over it. Real life works as you say. It takes a long time.
If you want more José, you can watch Maggie Mae Fish's video about "My Octopus Teacher" where José reads a passage.
Jose, between this and your Roseanne reviews, you really are such a magnificent content creator and video essayist, using the form to best of its capacity. Thank you so much for your work and all the insight and entertainment it's given me.
I felt so spoiled when I saw this upload and it’s length. What’d we do to deserve such an in-depth deep dive of an interesting topic? You’re too good to us, José. I hope you have a beautiful weekend. 🥰
This Jose bloke manages to make hour long videos that are interesting to watch from start to finish.
I can't help but respect that.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction
5:51 Building Bel Air
12:14 Season 1
32:52 Season 2
42:30 Season 3
50:00 The Aunt Vivian Thing
54:26 Season 4
1:07:17 Season 5
1:13:47 Season 6
1:20:16 Farewell, Dope Prince
“Aunt Vivian thing” Big as the seasons LMAOO
Honestly I liked the thing about Will constantly repeating pick up lines because I feel I shows the shallowness of womanizing (or like manizing I guess) without being super preachy about it.
I also really like that fan trailer, because it really shows the thing that was just in the background in the show. It showed how fucked Will must've been in his old life. Because, let's be honest, his mum wouldn't send him away like that, thousands of miles, only able to see him once or twice a year, if hadn't been in real real danger. This was more than a fight on a basketball court. And I'd really liked that explored further.
I heard they're actually making the trailer into a real limited series? Don't quote me on that I have to look it up
@@DonkeyBoyVids yeah it's a real thing. Will confirmed it on his RUclips channel.
They actually made the drama version of the fresh prince of Bel-Air. The first episode seemed okay...
This show literally taught me how to speak English. I’ll forever be grateful to will Smith!
Same to me. I remember it by heart in Italian since childhood then watched it again in English to learn the language
The episode with frank is something that I as a white person sees, if I wanted to date a black woman people would act exactly the same and may even lose family. I’m glad they did it the way they did and those leaps in logic aren’t that off because I’ve heard responses like that before.
This analysis slaps! Thanks!
13:51 is this what that "Chappelle's Show" line about "Wayne Brady [making] Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X" was referencing? LOL
No
One thing you seem to have glossed over, was that a large part in Will Smith's decison to do Fresh Prince, was that he was massively in debt to the IRS due to tax evasion.
But one rule: don't overspend that much money.
Firstly, I love your series on sitcoms. Another great episode! Secondly, it's amazing to see how much your channel has grown from a few thousand subscribers. You deserve it.
I've watched this show so much, I know every pause, every infliction every punchline. God what a great show.
These are amazing videos! Every video is so well made, thank you for your hard work!!!
The fact that The Fresh Prince had 2 of Bill Cosby's daughters (Vanessa from The Cosby Show and Dianne from Ghost Dad), Regine from Living Single, and Fancy from Jaime Foxx Show, all talking bout Nia Long leaving him at the altar is legendary. Dated every Black woman from our childhood on that show. @1:11:56
God, I love your channel. This next-level analysis is what makes the internet worth all the other bullshit.
Excellent, excellent content.
James' Shredder is showing when he he says "I know where I come from! " Such a good actor. Gone too soon.
I scrolled through waaaaay too many comments before I saw a Shredder reference...which is what I was looking for. Thank you for being the person that came through.
@@johnnythewalrus I can't believe no one else mentioned it! I know he's Uncle Phil to most people, but to me he and Krang are still stuck in Dimension X lol!
In the episode "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse." That's not acting. That's REAL emotion.
José, I seriously have to thank you and your retrospective from the bottom of my heart for my rediscovery of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I remembered liking this show ever since I was a child all thanks to Will Smith's affable charm and his interpersonal fraternal chemistry with Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton. Furthermore, James Avery as Uncle Phil was one of the best television dads of all time thanks to his toughness, sagacity, well-roundedness, and ability to never take crap from anybody. I also loved Janet Hubert as Aunt Viv because she was a strong matriarch with abundant urgency. Daphne Maxwell Reid's Aunt Viv was decent, but I think the problem was how the writers could not figure out what to do with Aunt Viv after Season 3 due to Janet Hubert's pregnancy and a butt-load of contention she had to deal with in her home life as well as with the young Will Smith which was thankfully resolved after over thirty years. In the show proper, it was clear to see that the kids from Hilary to Will to Carlton to Ashley were all growing up, branching out to new arenas, and were having storylines that saw them growing mentally as well as physically, especially where Ashley's metamorphosis from sweet young tween to sassy headstrong teenager was concerned. Therefore, Aunt Viv from Seasons 4 to 6 felt like more of an afterthought for the writers which was why her characterisation suffered.
Nowadays, as a grown-up, I still love The Fresh Prince of Bel Air with all of my heart. It is a great combination of laugh-out-loud comedy, human drama, and overall intelligent writing that never talked down to its audience. Everything about Fresh Prince of Bel Air made me have a huge smile on my face, and I cherish this show to this very day.
Oh, I wouldn't blame Will Smith for Suicide Squad sucking. If anything, him, Margot Robbie, and the completely underused Ike Barinholtz made the film tolerable.
I don't blame any of the actors, except for Jared Leto a tiny bit. That script was horrific, how could anyone make that work?
Ugh. Can you believe that the writer is blaming Deadpool being successful for the movie getting screwed up? Sure, WB does meddle like hell with their movies and should hastag release ALL the cuts, but the entire movie was screwed up anyway. They didn't need another world ending wannabe Avengers level threat. Joker should have been the main villain and Harley should have had some eternal struggle that would have either ended with her betraying him or betraying the rest of the group. Instead of Joker and Harley being reduced to a Hot Topic merchandising line for teenage girls. And the writer SWEARS there was something like that in the original script, but I doubt enough to save the move from the lame ass generic world ending Boogyman crap. The actors did their best and had as much fun as they could, but the only thing that would have made it worse is if Zach Snyder directed it.
Trevor got did dirty, screw Lou and
they fourth wall breaking here 1:07:41 was epic along with “we so rich but don’t have a roof” & “who playing the mother this year?”😭😭😭😭
Been waiting for this! Growing up in the projects my friends and I used to half joke that this show raised us. I say half joke because though it was a little hyperbolic, we were also sincere.
I like how the flashback of their "poor" home is bigger than a lot of homes a lot of people in the UK could ever hope to afford.